AuthorÂ´s
Biography
Kurt Vonnegut
Vonnegut has
typically used
science fiction
to characterize
the world and
the nature of
existence as he
experiences
them. His
chaotic fictional
universe
abounds in
wonder,
coincidence,
randomness and
irrationality.

Plot Summary

Exposition

â&#x20AC;˘

In the first couple paragraphs, we learn that the
America of 2081 is a world with hundreds more rules
and regulations than we have now. We also meet
George and Hazel Bergeron, two people whose son,
Harrison, has been arrested by the government for
being all-around too awesome. They're watching
ballet on TV. You know, like you do when the
government has kidnapped your son.

Rising action

â&#x20AC;˘ Things start getting interesting when Hazel starts
thinking about changes she would make to the rules if
she were Handicapper General. Hey, Hazel, we have a
change we'd like to make: get rid of the handicaps!
Sadly, that thought doesn't race through her tiny little
brain. We can practically hear her one little squeaky
gear turning as she fantasizes about being Handicapper
General.

Climax

â&#x20AC;˘

â&#x20AC;˘

The highest point of action in the book is when
Harrison escapes and storms the stage of the ballet.
Heck, Harrison picking his nose would have been more
action than we're getting from the dumb ballet and
those two couch potatoes, George and Hazel. But
Harrison goes above and beyond all expectations.

In his few moments of freedom, he takes a ballerina as
his Empress, frees her from her mask, and defies
gravity by flying into the air and kissing the ceiling of
the auditorium. Then he's shot dead by the
Handicapper General, and everything's back to
normal.

Falling action

â&#x20AC;˘

Not so much "falling action" as "forgetting action."
We're not even sure how much he sees, because at
some point, he just leaves to get a beer. You'd think
someone with above-average intelligence would watch
to see what happened to his son, but not George.
Hazel did watch what happened, but she soon forgets
about it too. The Bergeron philosophy? "Forget sad
things". We're going to remember this traumatic event
longer than they did, and we're not even related to the
kid.

Resolution
Say Goodnight,
Hazel" "Goodnight,
Hazel!"
"

There's nothing to
resolve here because,
to George and Hazel,
nothing actually
happened. The status
quo has returned.
Okay, they'll have to
get their TV fixed, but
aside from that,
nothing's changed. In
fact, the story ends
with a joke: Hazel
repeating herself
verbatim after
George says "You can
say that again". But
after what we've just
seen, it hardly seems
funny.

Setting Analysis

• The time is in the
future, the year of
2081, which the story
simply stated in the
very first sentence of
the story. The
technologies seems
more advanced, as the
readers can tell from
the radio handicap that
is tuned to a
government
transmitter. However,
there is a contradicting
point, at one point,
George and Hazel’s
television tube burned
out. This television
tube indicates that the
television is not flat
screen, which is what
most televisions are
now these days.

•

The place is in the United States of America because it
mentioned the Amendments to the Constitution. The
place setting also includes the living room in their
house. It is because most of the time George and Hazel
Bergeron were watching the TV in the living room on
the couch. The kitchen that George went in and out for
a can of beer wasn’t very far from the living room since
the story said George went into the kitchen for a can
of beer and right afterwards continued talking about
George coming back with the beer. Another place
setting can be in the studio were the ballerina that
broke the news of Harrison Bergeron escaping from
jail, and where he declared himself the Emperor and
chose a Ballerina to be the Empress.

Character Analysis

Harrison Bergeron

â&#x20AC;˘ Harrison represents the part of
the American people that still
longs to try hard, flaunt their
attributes, and outpace their
peers. At age fourteen, Harrison is
a physical specimen: seven feet
tall, immensely strong, and
extremely handsome. The
government does everything in its
power to squelch Harrison,
forcing him to wear huge
earphones to distort his thinking,
glasses to damage his sight and
give him headaches, three
hundred pounds of metal to
weigh him down, a ridiculous
nose, and black caps for his teeth.
But none of the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
hindrances, including jail, can stop
Harrison. His will to live as a full
human being is too strong. The
government calls Harrison a
genius, but he is remarkable less
for his brains than for his bravery
and self-confidence.

George
Bergeron

George is an
everyman, a
character most
readers will
understand and
relate to. Smart and
sensitive, George has
been crippled by the
governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
handicapping
program. He makes
intelligent remarks
and thinks
analytically about
society, but his mind
is stunted.

Hazel
Bergeron

Hazel is a one-woman
cautionary tale, an
average American in an
age when “average” has
come to mean “stupid.”
She does not need a
radio permanently
affixed to her ear, as
George does, because
she was never capable
of sustained thought.
She worries about
George and suggests
that he remove a few of
his weights while he is
at home, and she weeps
over her son, although
she cannot keep him in
mind for more than a
few seconds at a time.
But Hazel is a cautionary
tale precisely because
her kindness makes no
difference. Her stupidity
overwhelms her good
nature, preventing her
from recognizing the
absurdity of her society,

Themes

The Danger of Total
Equality

•

Suggests that total equality is not an ideal worth
striving for, as many people believe, but a mistaken
goal that is dangerous in both execution and outcome.
To achieve physical and mental equality among all
Americans, the government in Vonnegut’s story
tortures its citizens. The beautiful must wear hideous
masks or disfigure themselves, the intelligent must
listen to earsplitting noises that impede their ability to
think, and the graceful and strong must wear weights
around their necks at all hours of the day.

The Power of
Television

•

Television is an immensely powerful force that
sedates, rules, and terrorizes the characters in
“Harrison Bergeron.” To emphasize television’s
overwhelming importance in society, he entire
narrative takes place as George and Hazel sit in front of
the TV. Television functions primarily as a sedative for
the masses. Hazel’s cheeks are wet with tears, but
because she is distracted by the ballerinas on the
screen, she doesn’t remember why she is crying.

Study Guide

What is the setting of the story?
_____________________________________
_________
What is the author satirizing?
_____________________________________
____________
What point of view is the story told?
_____________________________________
__
What is the theme of the story?
_____________________________________
__________

• 1) What has happened to Harrison and why?
• 2) How has the government made George and
Hazel equal? What does George have to wear?
• 3) What is the name of the Handicap General?
• 4) Describe Harrison Bergeron with all of his
handicaps?
• 5) What does Harrison declare on television?
• 6) What happens to Harrison? Be specific.